AC Milan are taking their time before making a decision on whether to pay more for Youssouf Fofana but in the meantime an alternative idea has come up in Richard Rios, a report claims.
According to Sky, Fofana has long been the profile that the Milan management has identified for the midfield and they will wait until the end of this week to present a new offer to Monaco.
An agreement with the Frenchman has now been reached in principle over personal terms but a deal with Monaco has not yet been struck, as they continue to ask for around €25m.
The 25-year-old remains a target, with Geoffrey Moncada and the other directors also leveraging Fofana’s desire to come to Italy, but they only want to pay what they feel is a fair price given that his deal runs out in 11 months
The alternative to Fofana is Richard Rios, a Colombia international who is 23 years of age and currently plays for Palmeiras. He has made 29 appearances so far this season, with Rios also taking part in the Copa America.
Colombia went on a great run in that tournament in the USA and only lost in the final 1-0 to Argentina. Rios plays mainly in front of the defence, which is exactly what Milan need, but can also operate as a box-to-box player.